Bath litter for therapeutical treatment

ABSTRACT

A bath litter for therapeutical treatment of persons has a resting support with a pivotally mounted head portion which may be secured in different angular positions relative to the remainder of the resting support for supporting the upper part and head of a person&#39;&#39;s body, and at least one side piece extending lengthwise of the resting support which may be pivoted from an idle position below the level of the resting support about a longitudinal axis to an active position above the resting support.

United States Patent Johansson 1451 July 11,1912

[$4] BATH LITTER FOR THERAPEUTICAL TREATMENT [72] Inventor: Hans A. V. J Treharadsvagen 45,

Eslov, Sweden [22] Filed: June 8, I970 [2|] Appl.No.: 44,074

[30] Fwd! Application Priority Data June II, 1969 Sweden ..8281I69 [52] US. Cl. ..5/82, 5/92 [Si] MC. ..A6lg 7/10 [58] fleltlnlsesei ..5/89,92,82.3l7,327;4/l77, 4/185 8 [56] Reterences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,344,445 10/ I967 Crawford ..5/8l R 3,403,411 l0/l968 Steinemann et a] ..5/8l R Primary Examiner-Cami: A. Nunberg Attorney-John J. Dennemeyer I ABSTRACI A bath litter for therapeutics] treatment of persons has a resting support with a pivotally mounted head portion which may besecuredindifl'erentangulatpositiomrelativetothe remainderoftherestingaupportforaupportingthe upperpart andheadofapemnsbody,andatlmtonesidepieceextendinglengthwiseoftherestingsupportwhichmaybe pivoted from an idle position below the level of the resting support about a longitudinal axis to an active position above the restingsupport.

8ChhmJDnwhgngnres PATENTEDJUL 11 m2 3.675.255

SHEET 1 or 3 INVEN TOR.

PATENTEDJUL 11 m2 3.675.255

SHEET 3 or 3 INVENTOR.

BATH LITTER FOR THERAPEU'IICAL TREATMENT This invention refers to equipment for washing and bathing sick and disabled persons and more particularly to a bath litter provided with a resting support and splash preventing side pieces.

it has recently been suggested that the bath treatment of patients during their hospital stay should be replaced by a shower-bath treatment due to the fact that the latter treatment is considerably easier without reducing the cleaning effect. A resting support for such shower-bath treatment purposes may of course be planar but in that case its use is limited to certain areas adapted for bathing purposes. If the resting support is provided with a rim to prevent splashing of water on the patient the same problems arise which appear in connection with bath tubs when the patient is to be transported.

This invention which is intended to eliminate these drawbacks is mainly characterized in that it comprises at least one fender which is located under the resting support and which is adapted to be swung about a horizontal axis from an idle position under the level of the resting support to an active position in which it extends in the direction of at least one of the sides of the resting support and extends substantially above said level. In this way satisfactory protection against water splashing is achieved at the same time as the resting support may be temporarily separated from parts which project over its surface and which render the transportation of the patients more difficult.

A further feature of the invention is that the fender is so designed that it forms an elongated upwardly open channel in its operative position whose bottom is located below the level of the resting support. One of the sides of the fender is located outside the resting support while the opposite side is located below the resting support. In this way the trapped water may be carried off in a certain direction without interfering with the resting support. Still further features and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows the resting support in a perspective view.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through its foot portion.

FIG. 3 is a partial transverse section through the resting support on a larger scale.

FIG. 4 is a partial transverse section through the resting support in which the pivotal arrangement of the splash protecting fender is of a modified construction.

The lower portion of the resting support consists of two rigid sections, i.e., a longer section 1, which is intended to support the lower portion of the patients body and a shorter section 2 intended to support the head and shoulder portion of the patient. A pillow 3 made in one piece of a soft, resilient material is secured to the sections 1, 2, and extends Over the two sections. Section 2 may be set in different angular positions relative to section 1 due to the fact that the softer layer 3 may be easily bent at the junction between the two sections. Section 2 is provided with a pivotally mounted yoke, the middle part of which is displaceable in grooves with notches provided in side portions of a frame 8, to which the section 1 is securely connected.

The frame 8 or the resting support 1-3 is provided with a device by means of which it may be connected to a lever arm forming part of a conventional lifting device, and pivotally connected to a bath tub. in its most simple shape such a device may consist of a downwardly directed profile sleeve on the under side of the resting support, in which sleeve a corresponding, upwardly directed profile stud on the lever arm of the lifting device may be inserted.

As will be apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4 the lower part of each fender 10 may be bent upwardly on the inner side such that it forms a channel 11 which projects under the resting support 1-3. In this channel the water streaming from the resting support and from the inner side of the fender is trapped and immediately carried to the foot end of the fender from where it continues to the outlet. The channel 11 carries on its inner margin a sealing strip 12 which in the upright or active position of the fender 10 sealingly contacts the under side of the resting support l-3. As will be seen in P10. 1 the fenders 10 and their channels 11 are turned at right angles about the corners of the resting support 1-3 such that water from the two channels is trapped above the outlet at the middle portion of the short side of the resting support.

in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the resting support 1-3 is provided at each side and approximately in its middle portion and on the under side with a U-shaped yoke 13, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the resting support, one leg 14 of which is formed into a double hook 15, in which a cylindrical dowel 16, connected to an arm 17 which is welded to the under side of the channel, is suspended and constitutes a pivot axis for the fender 10. At the foot portion of the resting support 1-3 a hook 18 is arranged on the under side of the support and in this hook a dowel 19 is suspended and connected to the fender. The arm 17 is provided on its under side with an armature 20, to which a latch 22 is pivotally mounted by means of a dowel pin 21. The latch 22 is provided at its free end with a notch 23 by means of which it may be caught in a loop 24, which forms the free end of the other leg 25 of the yoke 13 so that the fender is locked in its up position. When the latch 23 has been brought out of engagement with the loop 24 the fender 10 may be swung downwardly to the position shown in dash and dot lines.

ln the embodiment according to FIG. 4 an outer and an inner-cylindrical rod 26 respectively 27 is mounted in the frame 8 at each side and extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the resting support 1-3.

The fender 10 is provided with an inwardly directed rail 28 whose lower edge is obliquely chamfered at the inner end 28a of the rail. The lower edge is further provided with two hooks 29 and 30 directed toward each other. As will be apparent from $16. 4 the fender may be inserted toward the resting support l-3 until the hook 30 engages the rod 26. At the same time the chamfered end of the rail is wedged between the resting support and the rod 27 thus locking the fender 10 in its up position. When the fender 10 is to be swung down it is pulled to the dotted line position in which the obliquely chamfered end 28a is pulled out of the space between the rod 27 and the resting support 1-3, and the outer hook 30 is disengaged from the outer rod 26 on which the inner hook 29 is hooked instead such that the fender with the rod 26 as a pivot may be swung down to the position in dot and dash lines. The fender 10 is further joumalled relative to the resting support 1-3 at the foot portion of said resting support and in the same manner as in the embodiment according to FIG. 3, and similar to this em bodiment it may be removed from the resting support by lifting it from the rod 26.

Further modifications as to details are possible within the scope of the appended claims, for example the fender may be made from a moisture-repelling material.

What is claimed is z 1. A bath litter for the therapeutical treatment of persons comprising:

a. a resting support (1-3) situated in a substantially horizontal plane,

b. at least one fender (10) located along one side of said support,

c. said fender including an outer side wall, an inner side wall, and a bottom joining said inner and outer side walls to define a channel 11) adapted to carry water along the support,

d. means for joining the inner wall of said fender to said support so that said fender extends longitudinally along one side thereof,

c. said outer wall extending vertically above the resting sup portto serve as a water shield for the resting support, and

f. the bottom of said channel being located in a horizontal plane below the plane of said resting support,

2. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein the vertical dimension of the outer wall of the channel exceeds the vertical dimension of the inner wall of the channel.

3. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for joining said fender to said support comprises pivot means (16; 26) so that said fender (10) can be swung between (1) an active upright position wherein the outer wall of the channel extends above the plane of said support and the channel extends therebelow and (2) an inactive position wherein the outer wall and the channel of said fender are swung into a position beneath the horizontal plane of said resting support (FIGS. 3 and 5).

4. The litter bath as defined in claim 3 wherein locking means are provided for retaining said fender in active upright position, said locking means comprising two rods (26, 27 FIG. 4) at each side of the resting support which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the resting support and are spaced apart from one another interiorly of the side edge of the resting support, a perpendicularly projecting rail (28) secured to the inner side of said inner wall, said rail including a pair of hooks (29, 30) at its inner end directed toward each other, one of said hooks (30) being locked to one of said rods (26) at the same time that the other hook is wedged between the resting support and the inner rod.

5. The litter bath as defined in claim 3 wherein locking means are provided for retaining said fender in active upright position. said locking means comprising a U-shaped yoke (13) secured to the under side of the resting support (FIG. 3), one

leg (14) of said U-shaped yoke including an upwardly directed hook (l5), an arm (17) secured to said fender, a dowel pin (16) secured to the inner end of said arm, said pin being seated within said hook, the other leg (25) of said U-shaped yoke having a lock (24) at its inner end, a bracket (20) secured to the underside of said arm, a latch (22), a pin 21) passing through said bracket and said latch so that said latch is pivotally mounted on said arm.

6. The bath litter as defined in claim 3 further comprising a sealing strip 12) secured to the upper end of the inner side wall of said fender, said strip engaging the underside of said resting support when said fender is in its active position.

7. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein each fender is bent at a right angle about the comer at one end of said resting support.

8. The bath litter as defined in claim I wherein said resting support comprises a longer section adapted to support the lower portion of the body of a patient placed upon the litter and a shorter section adapted to support the head and shoulder portion of the body of a patient, and a junction formed between said sections so that said shorter section can be set at difi'erent angular positions relative to said longer section.

all t I! II 

1. A bath litter for the therapeutical treatment of persons comprising: a. a resting support (1-3) situated in a substantially horizontal plane, b. at least one fender (10) located along one side of said support, c. said fender including an outer side wall, an inner side wall, and a bottom joining said inner and outer side walls to define a channel (11) adapted to carry water along the support, d. means for joining the inner wall of said fender to said support so that said fender extends longitudinally along one side thereof, e. said outer wall extending vertically above the resting support to serve as a water shield for the resting support, and f. the bottom of said channel being located in a horizontal plane below the plane of said resting support,
 2. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein the vertical dimension of the outer wall of the channel exceeds the vertical dimension of the inner wall of the channel.
 3. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for joining said fender to said support comprises pivot means (16; 26) so that said fender (10) can be swung between (1) an active upright position wherein the outer wall of the channel extends above the plane of said support and the channel extends therebelow and (2) an inactive position wherein the outer wall and the channel of said fender are swung into a position beneath the horizontal plane of said resting support (FIGS. 3 and 5).
 4. The litter bath as defined in claim 3 wherein locking means are provided for retaining said fender in active upright position, said locking means comprising two rods (26, 27 FIG. 4) at each side of the resting support which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the resting support and are spaced apart from one another interiorly of the side edge of the resting support, a perpendicularly projecting rail (28) secured to the inner side of said inner wall, said rail including a pair of hooks (29, 30) at its inner end directed toward each other, one of said hooks (30) being locked to one of said rods (26) at the same time that the other hook is wedged between the resting support and the inner rod.
 5. The litter bath as defined in claim 3 wherein locking means are provided for retaining said fender in active upright position, said locking means comprising a U-shaped yoke (13) secured to the under side of the resting support (FIG. 3), one leg (14) of said U-shaped yoke including an upwardly directed hook (15), an arm (17) secured to said fender, a dowel pin (16) secured to the inner end of said arm, said pin being seated within said hook, the other leg (25) of said U-shaped yoke having a lock (24) at its inner end, a bracket (20) secured to the underside of said arm, a latch (22), a pin (21) passing through said bracket and said latch so that said latch is pivotally mounted on said arm.
 6. The bath litter as defined in claim 3 further comprising a sealing strip (12) secured to the upper end of the inner side wall of said fender, said strip engaging the underside of said resting support when said fender is in its active position.
 7. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein each fender is bent at a right angle about the corner at one end of said resting support.
 8. The bath litter as defined in claim 1 wherein said resting support comprises a longer section adapted to support the lower portion of the body of a patient placed upon the litter and a shorter section adapted to support the head and shoulder portion of the body of a patient, and a junction formed between said sections so that said shorter section can be set at different angular positions relative to said longer sEction. 